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Adventist expands scope of care in Estacada

New Adventist clinic offers primary, urgent care in former location of Mike's Second Hand Store

At its new Estacada location, Adventist Health will offer a wide spectrum of care to local patients.

Previously located at 103 S.W. Highway 224, Adventist has moved to a larger location at 200 S.W. Highway 224 — the site of the former Mike's Second Hand Store, which closed several years ago.

"We wanted to bring a more comprehensive, modern office and clinic and urgent care to the community of Estacada," said Eric Swanson, executive director for strategy and business development at Adventist Health Tillamook Regional Medical Center, which will operate the expanded Estacada clinic.

The new Estacada location will allow patients to receive everything from primary care to urgent care without having to venture outside of town.

"We want to provide those basic services that this community needs close to home," Swanson said. "We don't want them to have to drive, and expend resources and time to drive out of town if they can get that here."

Eventually, the clinic will have three medical providers, a licensed clinical social worker and a care coordinator on staff.

"If you have a chronic illness, we will have a care coordinator who helps manage all of your care, and make sure that you're meeting your targets for your hemoglobin A1C if you have diabetes ... and making sure that you're making it to all of your doctors appointments. If you have needs in your home, we can help facilitate that home care as well," Swanson said, noting that the care coordinator will also be able to connect patients to resources outside of the clinic. "We want to be a patient-centered medical home. It's almost like one-stop shopping, and that care coordinator helps manage your care regardless of where you need it."

Depending on the needs of the community, some specialty care may be offered as well.

"It just depends on what the community needs (for) what we will provide with specialty services," he said.

Swanson noted that the Estacada clinic is working toward licensure as a rural health clinic to recruit providers and be financially competitive with urban medical settings.

"(As a rural health clinic,) there are certain lab tests that we'll be required to provide, and certain elements to the building itself, to make sure patients are safe while they're in the building," he added.

He said it's particularly valuable to offer a variety of medical services in a rural community such as Estacada.

"One of the things that I have personally seen is that people don't go to the doctor because of transportation issues," he said. "(We hope to) bridge that gap, and (make) sure that people get care locally and they don't have to worry about, 'Oh my goodness, how am I going to make it there?"

He noted that in another rural community that Adventist serves, a taxi ride from the nearest hospital can cost $100. In providing care close to home, leaders at Adventist hope to help patients avoid potentially stressful situations like that while they are already navigating through health concerns.

"Healthcare business is difficult, and navigating it as a patient if you're sick, it's

tough," Swanson said. "We want to be

that home, where we can help facilitate all of that."

In the past few months, two of Adventist's clinics in Oregon were designated as five star patient medical clinics, which is the state's highest rating in that category.

"That's what we'll do here, too," Swanson said. "We want this to be a five stat patient centered medical home. . .We want to give people the opportunity to have health, wholeness and hope right here at home."